The Truth About Marriage

A New Documentary by Roger Nygard

Why does Marriage have to be so difficult? “I am obsessed with this question,” says filmmaker Roger Nygard. “When I obsess on a topic, I don’t let go until I have a movie about it. I like to interrogate people about impossible ideas, and because it’s on camera, they don’t charge me. It’s like free therapy.”

Three very different couples were filmed at their weddings, then profiled many years later to see what happened after the honeymoon stage was long over. A Malibu screenwriter marries a much younger bride imported from Prague — over the years their roles reverse. A couple in Eugene, Oregon marries after agreeing they will continue dating others after the wedding. An American rapper living and performing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil vows to be single forever — six years later he is married with a four-year-old daughter. Their stories are full of twists, surprising lessons learned, and advice for others facing relationship problems.

We all know the problems and the statistics: marriage rates are down, divorce rates are up, and over time people become more and more unsatisfied in their marriages. Never in human history have human beings expected so much from romantic partners. Monogamy is the rule, but humans are constantly violating it. Is love a spiritual thing or is it all chemicals? Why are men and women are attracted to very different things? Couples admit there is a big drop in sex after marriage, so how can they keep the passion fresh? What are the secrets that lead to happy relationships? Nygard tracked down the experts — and some extraordinary regular folks — to find all the answers to these questions.

Roger Nygard has made several indie films, and worked in television as a director and editor on shows like THE OFFICE, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, and VEEP. But he is probably most notorious for having made the documentary, TREKKIES.
Nygard’s prior documentary was about the very nature of existence, or: what’s the point of everything? THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE, was an official selection of twenty film festivals, won multiple best documentary awards, and was released theatrically in 15 U.S. cities. Afterward, Nygard looked for a new topic, something even more inexplicable than existence itself, and only one topic fit that challenge: marriage.

This new film is a humorous and uplifting journey, presenting some of the most challenging ideas about relationships and marriage.

Michaela Hanackova and Frank Cappello on a Malibu beach at their sunset wedding.

Jordan Mackay and Angela Yackley chose a faerie convention near Eugene, Oregon, as the location for their wedding.